


Masque de Rulid

by pigeon_guy



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: (eventually) - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ballroom Dancing, Boys In Love, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Falling In Love, Fluff, Love at First Sight, M/M, Not Beta Read, Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28622664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pigeon_guy/pseuds/pigeon_guy
Summary: Eugeo was hesitant at the idea of a masquerade ball in his kingdom, but a chance encounter with an enchanting stranger makes  the night all worth it.
Relationships: Eugeo/Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	Masque de Rulid

"See, isn't this better?"

Eugeo frowned. Alice had been trying to sell Eugeo on the ball for the last two or so hours, alternating between talking about how it was his duty as a Prince and how it would be a chance for him to liven up a little. He wasn't sure why, though. It's not like he had a choice in whether he would attend or not, so why did it matter if he enjoyed himself? Balls like this were always too stressful for him, being a prince. There was always etiquette and unspoken rules whenever it came to big events such as this that he worried he'd make a fool of himself. He'd much rather spend his time in the library, curled up with a good book. It seemed Alice managed to read his thoughts.

"Look, you don't have anything to worry about. Just promise me you'll atleast try to enjoy yourself, okay?" His friend sighed, obviously giving up on convincing him. "You're lucky. I'd quite like to be in your position, instead of standing guard at the gates." Alice continued lightheartedly, putting her hair up into a ponytail as she walked out of the boy's room.

The young prince sighed, staring at himself in his full-length mirror. The suit Alice had helped pick out for him was rather nice, he'd admit it. Made of bright blue fabric and going down to just above his knees, with faint gold patterns tracing the edge of his collar. He adorned a white shirt underneath it and a pair of regular dark dress pants, but the most eye-catching item was the mask. It matched his clothes, being blue, gold, and white. The gold accents glistened as he turned it around in his hands, captivating Eugeo.

Maybe Alice was right, and he may be able to enjoy himself tonight. He patiently awaited to be brought downstairs, praying that was the case.

* * *

It was time. The head maid was walking Eugeo down the stairs, where he would make his entrance as the Prince of Rulid. What was even the point of a mask if everyone knew who he was anyways? Just another social convention Eugeo failed to understand.

He could hear the royal orchestra playing music. A quiet and elegant waltz tune now accompanied his every step as he approached the ballroom, now walking without the maid. Eugeo took a deep breath, and stepped forwards, holding his head up high.

"His Royal Highness, Prince Eugeo of Rulid, first in line to the throne." At his cue, Eugeo walked as gracefully as he could across the ballroom, and then turned to the side to join his father at the front. The main ballroom wasn't massive, but it was still rather sizeable, and the dance floor was lower than the rest of the room. It had been thoroughly cleaned and repaired in preparation for the ball and looked as magical as ever. Almost like something out of a fairytale, Eugeo thought. He admired the room as he waited for his sister to join them so his father could start his speech. Sulinea was always the more social of the two siblings and she loved these types of events. The boy still never quite understood why. As he mused about how different he and his sister were, his father- King Orick, had began talking.

"I thank you all for your attendance. This is a rather special occasion for us, so we have taken every measure to ensure this night is as special to you. Hor d'oeuvres will be passed around shortly, and the first dance will begin on the second bell at midnight. I do sincerely hope you all enjoy yourselves and take the chance to admire our beautiful castle." And with that, the attendees were free to roam certain areas of the castle and mingle as they liked.

Eugeo mostly stood around, not having much to do except entertain the guests with a polite conversation and a smile or two. Occasionally, he'd treat himself to an hor d'oeuvre, but not too many or people would talk. Or so his sister said. It was best to just be cautious and listen to her, even if he thought she wasn't being serious.

Even though he was bored, he wasn't as miserable as he thought he would be. Listening to the idle chatter and gossip of the other guests was rather entertaining. Often he'd hear snippets of the latest scandals that sounded like "Look at what the diplomat from Zakkaria is wearing! I would despair if I were seen in such an atrocious get up!" and "What ever happened to the Queen of Rulid? Surely the King's children aren't illegitimate?" which would then be met with replies of "You would think they took a commoner from the street when choosing their diplomat!" and "Don't you know it's impolite to talk about that out in the open? You don't want to get us kicked out of here, do you?". Eugeo had been so busy paying attention to these small conversations that he didn't realise how much time had passed until the first bell had already rung.

That meant there were 30 minutes until the dancing would begin. He was fond of dancing- he was fairly good at it too. Dancing in front of others was the hard part. As the Prince, he had no doubt that were would be lots of people who wanted to dance with him. He could already see a few eyes glance at him expectantly. Dreading what was to come, he was soon snapped out of his thoughts as he was approached by a stranger.

"Not very keen on the festivities, are you?"

"Oh, sorry, who are you?" He replied, caught off guard. The other man laughed in return.

"That sort of question sorta defeats the purpose of a masquerade ball, doesn't it?" Eugeo almost punched himself in the face for that one. He took his time to examine the stranger. He had jet black hair and dark eyes that seemingly captivated Eugeo. The man's clothes were similar to his own, except everything but his shirt was black. Eugeo didn't think he was a noble, but perhaps a knight or a guard from another kingdom?

"Sorry about that, slip of the tongue. Hopefully you've been enjoying the party more than me." Eugeo let out a chuckle, wanting to make more conversation. The stranger simply shrugged in response.

"I've never enjoyed parties much, until now. Care for a dance?" He held out his hand for Eugeo, noticing that pairs were already starting to make their way into the center of the ballroom. What did he mean by until now? Eugeo brushed that off, and smiled, taking his hand.

The man led Eugeo to the dance floor, moving gracefully and elegantly as he took the lead.

"So, is there anything I can call you?" Eugeo inquired. His dancing partner thought for a minute before replying.

"My friends call me Kirito. How about you? Would you prefer his Royal Highness or just my Prince?" Kirito joked, earning an awkward laugh from Eugeo.

"Just Eugeo would be fine, but people might get the wrong idea." He answered in a slightly hushed tone. 

"Hm?"

"It's considered a privilege to get chosen as a dancing partner for a member of the Royal Family- and we're both men, people are going to stare..." Eugeo trailed off. He didn't like the stress of social events like this. He already got enough pressure from his father to find a wife; he didn't need it from everyone in the land. But that was bound to be a topic of conversation if people saw him choose a man for the first dance.

"Let them." He spun Eugeo around. How could he be so confident? To be fair, maybe Eugeo was focusing too much on what others thought of him. After all, Alice said this would be a chance for him to liven up a little. If this was how it happened, dancing with an enchanting stranger, forgetting about everyone else but them... He wouldn't mind.

Eugeo took the time to examine Kirito's face some more. There was just something about him that drew Eugeo in, maybe it was how he really did have beautiful eyes, ones that sparkled like a night sky full of stars, or his smile that made Eugeo want to smile too. He did wonder though; how did he look under the mask? He'd never know. His father had decided that the heads and heirs of the various royal families were to dine separately during the big reveal. The two boys may never meet again. What other option do they have but to stare into each other's eyes, relishing every moment?

Soon after, there was an interval, the music stopped as everyone's cue to stop dancing. Kirito grabbed hold of Eugeo's hand, and nearly dashed ahead. 

"Come with me, I want to show you something." The boy exclaimed, a mischievous grin forming on his face. Oh, how Eugeo loved that grin.

Eugeo followed Kirito through the halls, passing by attendees who were using the interval as a chance to look around the palace. People stared at them as they basically ran past, but he didn't care anymore. At one point, they ducked into the library, where they slowed down. Kirito's eyes darted around the room until he let out an "Aha!" and guided Eugeo to the second floor of the library. What was even up here that was so interesting? He tilted his head at Kirito in confusion, to which the other boy simply took out a key from his pocket and walked to the door at the end of the mezzanine, before shortly unlocking it.

Eugeo's eyes widened. "Wha? Where did you get that key?" He asked, now even more confused.

Kirito shrugged, smiling. "It's a long story." He motioned for Eugeo to follow him. "Don't worry, there's nothing that important through here, it's just some stairs." The door did in fact lead to a balcony with wooden stairs that went down to the gardens at the back of the palace. Eugeo's father had told him not to go into the gardens during the ball. It didn't seem right, that even the Prince couldn't go to any areas of the castle that have been closed off before the ball. Kirito must have known that, if he chose to sneak them out through the library.

The pair walked through the garden, taking in the fresh air and the night sky, talking about whatever came to mind.

"We're outside now, aren't you going to take your mask off?" Eugeo inquired, trying to see if he could maybe make Kirito take his mask off.

"I'm flattered that you want to see the rest of my face so bad, but don't you feel that would just ruin the magic?"

Eugeo hummed. He wasn't sure he agreed, but he saw what Kirito meant. Eugeo looked around at the garden. They were surrounded by a sea of blue roses, the pride and joy of the maids in the palace. "These are my favourite type of flowers, you know."

Kirito smiled. "Suits you." He was quiet for a second, before kneeling down to pick one of the roses and putting it in Eugeo's hair, his hand moving down to cup the boy's cheek. The two stayed like that, faces barely centimeters from touching for what felt like forever. Finally, Eugeo felt Kirito's lips gently press to his own and he never felt more bliss, even if it only lasted for a few seconds.

The third bell rang, and it was time for the banquet. They wouldn't see each other from this point on, that was something they both knew. They walked, hand in hand, back the way they sneaked out, and shared a sad smile before they went their separate ways.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing yujikiri, so any kudos and comments will be very appreciated!  
> They will see each other again though, so don't worry :)  
> [Note: I have just finished writing this at 3am when I am at both my worst and my best so I do apologise for any errors]


End file.
